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The Indiana Minority Business Magazine (IMBM), which is published quarterly by the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper, will recognize 13 individuals, organizations and institutions that have demonstrated tremendous effort in the areas of diversity and inclusion.

The 12th class of Champions of Diversity includes pioneers in the areas of education, medicine, law, entertainment, business, finance and more, who have dedicated their careers to creating a more inclusive Indiana.

When former Nascar executive Max Siegel took over the U.S. track and field’s not-for-profit governing body in 2012, it was reeling from steroid scandals, an underperforming national team, and stagnant sponsorship. But in the past year, he has overseen an aggressive turnaround (including an estimated $500 million, 23-year commitment from Nike—one of the longest and most valuable sponsorships in all of sports). “Few people who aren’t involved in the sport know all the events we sanction: nearly 7,800 a year,” says Siegel. “We want to tell our story and reinforce that we have the top athletes in the world.” Here are a few of his initiatives:

At this moment, 129 American track and field athletes are settling into their living quarters in Rio de Janeiro as part of the 555-person strong Team U.S.A. They are getting acclimated to the weather and training daily, using every last minute to prepare physically and mentally for one of the most important events of their lives. But behind the scenes, Max Siegel has been planning this moment for years.

The results of next month’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro will directly affect the funding USATF gets from the U.S. Olympic Committee and will play a big part in the number and size of sponsor deals Siegel will be able to sign until the next Olympics.

“The pressure on the administrators of these national sports-governing bodies during the Olympics is tremendous,” said Dale Neuburger, former president of USA Swimming and of the Indiana Sports Corp. “Not only are the Olympics the one chance they have for their athletes and sport to be in the national and global spotlight, but they also have to live up to the high-performance plan the USOC requires them to file. That’s what determines funding.”

USA Track & Field will expand its operating budget to $35M in ’16, CEO Max Siegel will announce tonight at the opening session of the NGB’s annual meeting. The $5M spending increase over ’15 is the latest result of several major sponsorships signed under Siegel’s tenure, most notably the 23-year, $400M extension with Nike signed in ’14. Siegel will also disclose that running shoe maker Hoka One One has renewed its title sponsorship of the Hoka One One Middle Distance Classic for ’16. At the weekend-long meeting, the NGB may also consider changes to rules dictating when athletes must wear Nike-branded Team USA gear on trips, an issue that led sprinter Nick Symmonds to sit out IAAF World Championships in August.

INDIANAPOLIS, IN (November 22, 15) – Max Siegel, native Indianapolis resident and nationally-renowned sports and entertainment executive, finds himself in the forefront of yet another victorious moment in his professional career. Siegel, who is currently the fourth CEO of USA Track & Field (USATF), also owns and manages Rev Racing, the competition arm of NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity Program. Rev Racing serves as the NASCAR-supported racing team charged with developing female and minority drivers, and pit crew members in the NASCAR development series for future competition at NASCAR’s highest levels.

USA Track & Field CEO Max Siegel has grown the 35-year-old organization with the speed of a world-class sprinter.

And long-term relationships he’s forged—including a 24-year deal with Nike inked last year—have given Siegel and his organization the staying power of a marathon runner.

The Indianapolis native and University of Notre Dame graduate has covered a lot of ground since taking over in May 2012 as USATF’s fourth CEO. And having signed three corporate partnership deals in the last two months, Siegel doesn’t look like a man leaning for the finishing tape just yet.

INDIANAPOLIS — USA Track & Field CEO Max Siegel tonight will receive the 2015 Center for Leadership Development (CLD) Accomplished Achievement Award, presented annually to CLD’s “Man of the Year,” an Indiana citizen who has distinguished himself through a lifetime of unparalleled achievement and service to others.

This CLD Accomplished Achievement Award is the highest honor presented at the 35th Annual Minority Achievers Awards and Scholarship Gala held at the Indiana Convention Center.

Siegel will work with USATF’s recently created integrated marketing communications department with the aim of increasing revenue by adding corporate sponsors, improving relationships with existing sponsors, and producing custom broadcast and new media content.

Meanwhile, USA Luge and Fast Radios have announced an extension of their partnership up to and including the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games.